Best Western: Difference between revisions

Best Western International, Inc.
Company type	Marketing cooperative
Industry	Hotels
Founded	1946
Headquarters	Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	M. K. Guertin, founder; David Kong, President and CEO;
Revenue	US$206 million (2006)
Operating income	– US$5 million (2004)
Net income	– US$3.5 million (2004)
Total assets	US$70 million (2004)
Total equity	US$15 million (2004)
Members	4,000 approximately
Number of employees	1,076 (2006)
Website	bestwestern.com
	Footnotes / references; Data from Hoover's factsheet

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Best Western International, Inc. is the world's largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries.^[2] The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona,^[3] operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free Wi-Fi access hotspots in its hotels. Since 2002, Best Western International has begun creating an upscale brand for some properties located in Europe and Asia: Best Western Premier.

Unlike other chains, which are often a mix of company-owned and franchised units, each Best Western hotel is an independently owned and operated franchise. Best Western does not offer franchises in the traditional sense (where both franchisee and franchisor are operating for-profit), however. Instead, Best Western operates as a nonprofit membership association, with each franchisee acting and voting as a member of the association.

Business model

Best Western charges a rate that is based on an initial cost plus a fee for each additional room. Best Western also publishes a list of standards that each hotel needs to maintain. Instead of long term contracts, each hotel renews its membership on a yearly basis, with a renewal rate of well over 90%.^{[citation needed]}

The hotels are allowed to keep their independent identity. Though they must use Best Western signage and identify themselves as a Best Western hotel, the hotels are allowed the option of using their own independent name as part of their identity (for example Best Western Adobe Inn).

In the USA, the properties can either be traditional roadside motels, motor inns, or full-service hotels. There are also many smaller "mini-chains" that are owned by the same management within Best Western; for example the Best Western Midway Hotels found in the Midwestern United States. Outside the United States, the properties are mainly hotels.

By 2011 the chain's branding was modified; the basic Best Western name is now complemented by Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier properties offering progressively improved dining, recreation, and room guarantees.^[4]

History

File:LogosBestWestern.png

Corporate logos of Best Western

Best Western began in the years following World War II. At the time, most hotels were either large urban properties, or smaller family owned roadside hotels. In California, a network of independent hotel operators began making referrals of each other to travelers. This small and informal network eventually grew into the modern Best Western hotel chain founded by M.K. Guertin in 1946.

The name "Best Western" was a result of most of their properties originally being in the United States west of the Mississippi River. From 1946 to 1964, Best Western had a marketing partnership with Quality Courts, the forerunner of the chain known today as Quality Inns, whose properties were located mostly east of the Mississippi River, not in direct competition with Best Western. This partnership made sense geographically, but was not successful in the long run, and was abandoned. In 1964, Best Western launched an expansion effort of its own operations east of the Mississippi using the moniker "Best Eastern" for those properties with the same typestyle and Gold Crown logo as "Best Western." By 1967, the "Best Eastern" name was dropped and all motels from coast-to-coast got the "Best Western" name and Gold Crown, a move that would further enhance an already successful marketing brand into the "World's Largest Hotel Chain" by the 1970s.

Best Western's "Gold Crown" logo was introduced in 1964 and would continue with a few minor revisions over the next 30 years until it was replaced by the current blue and yellow logo in 1994.

Legal dispute

Best Western used to call itself a cooperative membership association, and as such could be seen as a co-op. Around 1985, it abandoned the "cooperative" terminology after courts insisted on calling it a franchisor despite its nonprofit status. The most dramatic example of this was Quist v. Best Western Int'l, Inc., 354 N.W.2d 656 (N.D. 1984),^[5] in which the North Dakota Supreme Court decided that Best Western was a franchisor and had to comply with the appropriate laws and regulations.

Best Western GB

Best Western GB began in 1978 when Interchange Hotels of Great Britain consisting of independent hoteliers from key locations in Great Britain elected to trade under the brand name Best Western Great Britain, effectively an affiliate of Best Western International in the US. Now there are around 280 Best Western hotels within Great Britain.

Best Western Australia and New Zealand

In 1981, Homestead Motor Inns of Australia affiliated with Best Western. This move put 'International' after the Best Western name. The company has since been known as Best Western International.

In early 2007, Best Western Australasia took over the rights to operate Best Western properties in New Zealand from the previous company, the Motel Federation of New Zealand. This was a bold but beneficial move for the brand as it made way for better quality properties to be brought into the brand. Currently, Best Western Australasia has 205 properties in the group (11 in New Zealand and 194 in Australia).

References

^ "David Kong". Best Western. Archived from the original on 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
^ MKG Worldwide Hotel Brand Ranking Retrieved on March 2010, eHotelier
^ "Contact Us." Best Western. Retrieved on February 21, 2010.
^ http://www.bestwestern.com/hotel-types/
^ "Quist v. Best Western International, Inc., 354 N.W.2d 656 (N.D. 1984)". North Dakota Supreme Court. 1984-07-18. Retrieved 2009-09-28.

External links

[1] "David Kong". Best Western. Archived from the original on 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2008-04-13.

[2] MKG Worldwide Hotel Brand Ranking Retrieved on March 2010, eHotelier

[3] "Contact Us." Best Western. Retrieved on February 21, 2010.

[4] ttp://www.bestwestern.com/hotel-types/

[NDSCO-5] "Quist v. Best Western International, Inc., 354 N.W.2d 656 (N.D. 1984)". North Dakota Supreme Court. 1984-07-18. Retrieved 2009-09-28.

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 </span>
 | area_served      = Worldwide
-| members          = 4,100 approximately
+| members          = 4,000 approximately
 | industry         = [[Hotel]]s
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 | footnotes        = Data from [http://www.hoovers.com/best-western/--ID__42845--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml Hoover's factsheet]
 }}
-Best Western International, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand made up of more than 4,100* BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS® and BEST WESTERN PREMIER® hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Now celebrating 66 years of hospitality, Best Western welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests nightly. Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales, marketing and promotional support, and online and mobile booking capabilities. More than 14 million travelers are members of the brand’s award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. The brand’s partnerships with AAA/CAA, racecar driver Michael Waltrip, and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Best Western in 2011 was named AAA’s and CAA’s Hotel Partner of the Year and bestwestern.com was named the 2011 Compuware Best of the Web Gold award winner. For more information or to make a reservation, please visit bestwestern.com. *Numbers are approximate and may fluctuate.
+'''Best Western International, Inc.''' is the world's largest [[hotel]] chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries.<ref>[http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4041919.search?query=mkg%20hospitality%20best%20western MKG Worldwide Hotel Brand Ranking] Retrieved on March 2010, eHotelier</ref> The chain, with its corporate headquarters in [[Phoenix, Arizona]],<ref>"[http://www.bestwestern.com/newsroom/contactus.asp Contact Us]." Best Western. Retrieved on February 21, 2010.</ref> operates more than 2,000 hotels in [[North America]] alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free [[Wi-Fi]] access [[Hotspot (Wi-Fi)|hotspot]]s in its hotels. Since [[2002]], Best Western International has begun creating an upscale brand for some properties located in Europe and Asia: [[Best Western Premier]].
-==Best Western International: After More than Six Decades, the Legacy Continues==
+Unlike other chains, which are often a mix of company-owned and franchised units, each Best Western hotel is an independently owned and operated franchise. Best Western does not offer [[Franchising|franchise]]s in the traditional sense (where both franchisee and franchisor are operating for-profit), however. Instead, Best Western operates as a ''[[nonprofit]]'' membership association, with each franchisee acting and voting as a member of the association.
-For more than six-and-a-half decades Best Western International has provided affordable, reliable and service-oriented lodging to business and leisure travelers wherever their travels happen to have taken them. Since 1946 the company has grown from a string of roadside motels along legendary Route 66 to become The World’s Biggest Hotel Family® with more than 4,100 BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS® and BEST WESTERN PREMIER® hotels in 100-plus countries and territories worldwide.
+<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:04596_b1.jpg|thumb|right|Best Western Carolinian in [[Myrtle Beach]], [[South Carolina]]]] -->
+==Business model==
-Let’s wind back the clock a bit… Best Western’s story really begins with one M.K. Guertin (see story below), an innovative hotelier with a number of lodging industry “firsts” to his credit. This hotel industry veteran had anticipated the needs of a new generation of automotive travelers who wanted to depart from one hotel confident that a clean, reputable one would be waiting for them at the end of that day’s drive. Guertin began traveling major highways himself, stopping after each day’s travel at the motel or roadside court that seemed most reputable. After touring each property, talking to its owners and ensuring that that property would participate in some uniform quality standards, Guertin would accept that motel into his informal group and be associated and known as one of the “Best Western” motels in America. That motel would then receive telephone referrals from the front desk operators of other motels within the growing group.
+Best Western charges a rate that is based on an initial cost plus a fee for each additional room. Best Western also publishes a list of standards that each hotel needs to maintain. Instead of long term contracts, each hotel renews its membership on a yearly basis, with a renewal rate of well over 90%.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}
+The hotels are allowed to keep their independent identity. Though they must use Best Western signage and identify themselves as a Best Western hotel, the hotels are allowed the option of using their own independent name as part of their identity (for example ''Best Western Adobe Inn'').
-Thus Best Western began in 1946, as an informal referral association among independent Member hotels. Pretty soon the operation was bolstered with printed Best Western Motel Guides -- by 1948 five million had been published listing ‘best, western’ hotels by route.
+In the USA, the properties can either be traditional roadside motels, motor inns, or full-service hotels. There are also many smaller "mini-chains" that are owned by the same management within Best Western; for example the Best Western Midway Hotels found in the Midwestern United States. Outside the United States, the properties are mainly hotels.
-The fledgling organization initially thrived in the western region of the U.S., growing rapidly in California before spreading to other points in the country. By 1960, all Best Westerns were required to have fully carpeted floors, and, in some climates, air conditioning. In 1963, Best Western became the largest motel chain in the industry, with 699 Member motels with more than 35,000 rooms.
+By 2011 the chain's branding was modified; the basic ''Best Western'' name is now complemented by ''Best Western Plus'' and ''Best Western Premier'' properties offering progressively improved dining, recreation, and room guarantees.<ref>http://www.bestwestern.com/hotel-types/</ref>
-The brand had big dreams for growth beyond America, and took its first step toward global expansion in 1964 when Canadian hotel owners joined the system. Eleven years later Best Western furthered its international presence adding locations in Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. A year later in 1976 Mexico and Central America joined the fold. Today Best Western truly spans the globe.
+==History==
-Over the past six decades Best Western has been the first to introduce and implement a variety of leading industry products and services: the first to offer inner spring mattresses, complimentary High Speed Internet Access, and virtual tours on its consumer website (www.bestwestern.com) – to name a few. The brand continues partnerships with Michael Waltrip Racing, Cesar Millan, Inc. and Harley-Davidson®, employing innovative marketing techniques to attract more guests to Member hotels. Best Western has made many enhancements to its Best Western Rewards® guest loyalty program. The Best Western Travel Card® remains popular, following its introduction in 2002. In 2006 Best Western rolled out a new ad campaign, “Members as Heroes,” to showcase the warmth, humanity and diversity of the great people who own and operate Best Western hotels in North America. A renewed commitment to creating outstanding guest experiences was embodied in the roll-out of the Best Western I Care® training program in 2008, followed by Best Western I Care 2 in 2009. Seasonal promotions continue to set records, and the 2011 summer promotion was conducted for the fourth time in partnership with Disney.
+[[Image:LogosBestWestern.png|thumb|right|600px|Corporate logos of Best Western]]
-Last but hardly least, in February 2011 Best Western launched its Descriptor Program – arguably the most important development in its long and eventful history. Best Western now offers three types of hotels: BEST WESTERN, BEST WESTERN PLUS and BEST WESTERN PREMIER, three choices that offer amenities and services that best fit travelers' specific travel needs. Of course, every Best Western hotel continues to provide the same value and quality associated with the Best Western brand. Now, finding the right hotel no matter what guests' travel needs may be is even easier. Following are brief descriptions of the three types of hotels in the brand:
+[[File:Best Western Bowery Grand jeh.JPG|thumb|right|Best Western on The [[Bowery]], [[Chinatown, Manhattan]]]]
+Best Western began in the years following [[World War II]]. At the time, most hotels were either large urban properties, or smaller family owned roadside hotels. In California, a network of independent hotel operators began making referrals of each other to travelers. This small and informal network eventually grew into the modern Best Western hotel chain founded by [[M.K. Guertin]] in 1946.
-BEST WESTERN provides guests with great value and service. Convenient amenities and warm, comfortable surroundings ensure an effortless stay and reliable hotel experience.
+The name "Best Western" was a result of most of their properties originally being in the United States west of the [[Mississippi River]]. From 1946 to 1964, Best Western had a marketing partnership with [[Quality Courts]], the forerunner of the chain known today as [[Choice Hotels|Quality Inns]], whose properties were located mostly east of the Mississippi River, not in direct competition with Best Western. This partnership made sense geographically, but was not successful in the long run, and was abandoned. In 1964, Best Western launched an expansion effort of its own operations east of the Mississippi using the moniker "Best Eastern" for those properties with the same typestyle and Gold Crown logo as "Best Western." By 1967, the "Best Eastern" name was dropped and all motels from coast-to-coast got the "Best Western" name and Gold Crown, a move that would further enhance an already successful marketing brand into the "World's Largest Hotel Chain" by the 1970s.
-BEST WESTERN PLUS offers that little something extra with an affordable price tag. While each property will be different, each features well appointed rooms and amenities thoughtfully designed to suit any travel occasion.
+Best Western's "Gold Crown" logo was introduced in 1964 and would continue with a few minor revisions over the next 30 years until it was replaced by the current blue and yellow logo in 1994.
-A stay at a BEST WESTERN PREMIER will always leave a lasting impression, with its distinct style and personalized guest services. Plush amenities and features provide each guest with a refined level of comfort with every stay.
+===Legal dispute===
-==M.K. Guertin: Visionary Organizer of a Legendary Brand==
+Best Western used to call itself a [[cooperative]] membership association, and as such could be seen as a co-op. Around 1985, it abandoned the "cooperative" terminology after courts insisted on calling it a franchisor despite its nonprofit status. The most dramatic example of this was ''Quist v. Best Western Int'l, Inc.'', 354 N.W.2d 656 (N.D. 1984),<ref name="NDSCO">{{cite web|url=http://www.ndcourts.com/court/opinions/10571.htm|title=Quist v. Best Western International, Inc., 354 N.W.2d 656 (N.D. 1984)|date=1984-07-18|publisher=North Dakota Supreme Court|accessdate=2009-09-28}}</ref> in which the [[North Dakota Supreme Court]] decided that Best Western was a franchisor and had to comply with the appropriate laws and regulations.
+===Best Western GB===
-M.K. Guertin, Best Western International’s “founding father,” was a self-educated, farm boy straight out of the American oil patch. Born in 1891, he grew up in Liberty, Texas, just northeast of Houston. This real-life “Horatio Alger” worked on the family’s ranch, and later served as an office clerk and telegraph operator for local oil companies.
+[[Best Western GB]] began in 1978 when Interchange Hotels of Great Britain consisting of independent hoteliers from key locations in Great Britain elected to trade under the brand name Best Western Great Britain, effectively an affiliate of Best Western International in the US. Now there are around 280 Best Western hotels within Great Britain.
+===Best Western Australia and New Zealand===
-In his early 30s, with the Great Depression entering its fourth year, M.K. left hard-scrabble Texas behind and struck out for California. While details of his first years there remain sketchy, he was clearly involved with the hotel business within a couple of years of his arrival. In time, Guertin would own or build 13 motels in the state, including what would eventually become the first Best Western – the Beach Motel, a small Spanish-style building that opened in 1938.
+In 1981, Homestead Motor Inns of Australia affiliated with Best Western. This move put 'International' after the Best Western name. The company has since been known as Best Western International.
+In early 2007, Best Western Australasia took over the rights to operate Best Western properties in New Zealand from the previous company, the Motel Federation of New Zealand. This was a bold but beneficial move for the brand as it made way for better quality properties to be brought into the brand. Currently, Best Western Australasia has 205 properties in the group (11 in New Zealand and 194 in Australia).
-Guertin’s true claim to fame began in 1946 when, building on more than two decades of experience as a hotelier, he formed a referral association of independent innkeepers in the western U.S. that he called Best Western Motels. Members of this network were allowed to have a variety of lodging properties, from small roadside motor courts to larger urban motels – so long as they adhered to the association’s high standards of quality and service.
+==References==
-Thereafter known as “Mr. Motel” to a generation or more of innkeepers, M.K. came to be honored by trade journals, respected by peers and competitors, and courted by others in the tourism field. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau once featured him in a full-page trade journal advertisement with this caption: "This man generates success." Guertin keenly understood that success doesn’t happen by accident – it comes from “treating your guests like family” as he put it. Providing superior customer care has been a touchstone for our brand from its beginnings.
+{{Reflist}}
+==Further reading==
-In 2009 the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston formally inducted Guertin into its 'Hospitality Hall of Honor' in recognition of his many contributions to the industry.  At the time of the induction David Kong, President & CEO of Best Western, said: “M.K. understood that, while product is important, the essence of hospitality lies in the service experience. As a result, Best Western hotels today still have that important family-run feel, and our owner-operators have a major voice in the direction of the brand.” Fittingly, a display of Guertin memorabilia is permanently displayed at the Hall.
+* [http://www.bestwestern.com/aboutus/Annual_Reports/2007.pdf 2007 Annual Report]<!-- the BW website was down when I updated the financials -->
+==External links==
-==Best Western Fast Facts==
+{{Portal box|Arizona|Companies}}
+* [http://www.bestwestern.com/ Best Western]
-Based on distribution and number of locations, Best Western International is THE WORLD'S BIGGEST HOTEL FAMILY® with more than 4,100* hotels in 100-plus* countries.
+* [http://www.bestwesternpremier.com/ Best Western Premier]
+* [http://www.bestwestern.co.uk/ Best Western Great Britain]
-Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Best Western International corporate employs 1,190 people and offers 311,598 quality guest rooms located in 100-plus* countries and territories worldwide.
+* [http://www.bestwestern.com.au/?cm_mmc=wikipedia_-link-_-bottom-_-general&sob=a23/ Best Western Australia]
+* [http://www.bestwestern.es/eng/index.htm Best Western Spain and Portugal]
-The independent advantage offered through Best Western has been a cornerstone in U.S. markets for 65 years and in Europe for 35 years.
+* [http://www.bestwesterncluj.ro Best Western Romania]
+* [http://www.bestwestern.com/reservations/hotels.asp?country=in]
-American Automobile Association and Canadian Automobile Association rate 95 percent of Best Western hotels in the US and Canada; more than 1,000 of these properties receive a three-diamond rating.
-Best Western is The Preferred Lodging Partner of AAA/CAA.
-In conjunction with Best Western’s partnership with Harley-Davidson, more than half of the Best Western hotels in North America are rider-friendly, offering special benefits for motorcycle riders and enthusiasts.
-All Best Western hotels in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean offer free high-speed Internet access to guests.
-Best Western operates consolidated reservations centers in Phoenix, Arizona and Milan, Italy.
-Best Western’s worldwide sales offices are located in Atlanta, Bangkok, Beijing, Bogota, Boston, Buenos Aires, Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Milan, New York City, Orlando, Phoenix, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, San Diego, Santiago, Seoul, Singapore, St. Louis, Sydney, Tel-Aviv, Tokyo, Toronto and Washington, DC.
-More than 90 percent of our hotels in Europe have three or four-star ratings.
-Best Western offers members the unique advantage of retaining their independence while providing the benefits of a full-service, international lodging affiliation offering a global reservations system, marketing, advertising, purchasing, training and quality standards.
-Best Western was one of the first lodging brands to provide booking capabilities to Internet users around the world when the hospitality giant added this service on Dec. 19, 1995. On average, bestwestern.com has been booking more than $1 million in revenue per day for the hotel chain since January 2005.
-*Numbers are approximate and can fluctuate.
 {{Hotel chains}}